This variation was first pointed out on HWC, and as always, anything related to the Skyline IMMEDIATELY caught our attention. Apparently the Flying Customs Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R was being found with two different interiors. One with the standard two front and two back seats, and another with one racing bucket seat.

This model is hard enough to find, as the last, and in our opinion best, batch of the slow-moving Flying Customs line didn’t make it to big-box stores. Now add to it two different interiors, and you vari and Skyline collectors have a task ahead of you.

We made our way to our stash of Flying Customs and were happily surprised to find that we had two of each. So too the photo studio we went to try and figure it out.

We started with side-by-side shots…

…and they didn’t help at all. As much as we like our little photo setup, getting details on black interiors is not its strong suit.

So we moved to silhouette shots:

Racing interior:

Standard interior:

Better, as you can see the difference, but not good enough.

So we did something absolutely crazy. We used the sun! Insane, I know. We are very daring here at Lamley. Out of the studio and to the desk in front of a window.

Now you can see it:

Racing interior:

Standard interior:

So now that you see the difference, what are we looking at?

Wrong interior errors happen with Hot Wheels. The last significant interior error was, ironically, the silver ’92 BMW M3, which was found on several occasions with the interior of the Nissan Skyline 2000GT-X, with its full roll cage.

That got us thinking. The First Edition of the Kenmeri 2000GT-R Skyline had the standard interior, so that would be the normal issue. But where did the racing interior come from? The obvious guess would be the 2000GT-X Hakosuka Skyline, which has a racing interior just like what we see on the Kenmeri: the low-slung bucket set with an empty interior.

So we compared:

All you need to see is the dash board. They are different. So that idea is eliminated.

But here is the most important detail, and one that really creates the mystery. The plastic interior of the Kenmeri 2000GT-R extends to the front and rear, and serves as the models headlight and grill, as well as its tail lights. So this has to be a deliberate variation. This racing interior had to be made for the Kenmeri.

We have put our feelers out, and are waiting for an answer from the HW Skyline designer himself, Jun Imai. As soon as we hear something, we will pass it on. Our guess? That the racing interior was made for the premium Hot Wheels Racing version that was never made. If we remember correctly, the Skyline was part of the last batch of Hot Wheels Racing that included the Toyota 2000GT. So this interior was molded for that, but never made. Hence, a few were now put into the Flying Customs version.

Incidently, the base codes on these is different. For the racing interior, F22:

And for the standard, F28:

That is consistent in the HWC post, but we want to know what you have. Let us know the base codes on the variations you have. Let’s figure this out.

What we don’t know is which one is more rare. All we know is there are two.

Now, for some fun…

The Flying Customs Skyline is part of this week’s Lamley Deal of the Week at Wheel Collectors. They have put their stock of Skylines and the other Flying Customs up for sale at a discount this week, so it your chance to grab the vari. We have NO IDEA what variations they have, so I would ask. Follow the link and have at it:

Interesting. Two completely different interiors with their own design for the same car. My guess would be that they modified the standard one to have the racing interior and when time came to put the Kenmeri in the FC line, they realised that they still had some older stock interior Skylines lying around and, knowing that its Mattel, they decided to use both of them anyway. Whatever happens, this is a proper variation and not an error. Another thing that comes to my mind is that if they've used a different mold for the racing interior, then does it still include the interior, bumpers and front & rear lights as a complete piece or separate ones? In that case, only the extra seats had to be deleted from the standard interior and the casting would be ready.

The statement that they never reached retailers is no true. Publix Supermarkets has received the final wave, which I can verify because I found every model and have the Skyline sitting right behind me as I type.

Looking at the bases, you might notice that one has “Made in Thailand” cast onto it, while the other has “Made in _____________” with Thailand printed in. Definitely a different bottom tool, I'd be curious to compare the bodies to see if it's as different as the bases and interiors.

I have been looking for a couple weeks for this car, but I didn't realize they had 2 different interiors until I got home and looked the car up online. The store I got it at had another one, but the package was a little rough. I am gonna go back there in a few minutes to check the interior, and snatch it up.

Craig Willows-Keetley shares the story of his journey to compete in the half Ironman length Challenge event in Phuket. Craig shares his training program, details of the race and lessons he learnt from the event. Hear his story about the Challenge event that’s a Challenge and a half!. TLR Carbon wheels